Lesson 217:
Malvyn Johnson
An ongoing illustrative history study
This piece originally posted on 03/25/2026,
Women's History Month 2026
Another ceiling-breaking journalist whose quiet dedication to integrity often goes overlooked by history: meet Malvyn "Mal" Johnson. Born in 1924 Philadelphia, "Mal" worked during WWII as an honest-to-goodness riveter, which helped to cover her undergraduate education at Temple University. She later secured her Master's degree in Intergroup Relations and Community Dynamics from Springfield (Mass.) College, and married her childhood friend Frank Benjamin Johnson (USAF). The couple traveled extensively due to Johnson's position, including a post in England. Frank was tragically killed in an on-base accident at Westover AFB in 1965; following her husband's death Mal took a job with the Philadelphia Inquirer as an editor's assistant, but quickly ascended to an anchor position with WKBS (Channel 48), then an independent network. During this timeframe she not only covered many pivotal civil rights events, but also chaired the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP. She also participated in hearings on employment discrimination, testifying before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
Through these associations she was scouted for a job with Cox Communications (later Cox Broadcasting Corporation) and formally joined that news organization in 1969, in part at the enthusiastic recommendation of her colleagues Jim Vance and Barbara Walters --she would remain with Cox for the next 27 years, gradually emerging as a nationally syndicated correspondent. In 1972 she broke another barrier when she became the first Black woman to join the White House Correspondents' Association. In 1980 she was elevated to Senior Washington Correspondent, and also served on the board of American Women in Radio and Television (AWRT).
Mal is one of the original founders of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), which has been mentioned at length in many of these recent entries. She also launched what would become the National Broadcast Association for Community Affairs. In 2000 she stepped away from Cox and founded her own media consulting firm, Media Linx International. Mal Johnson died in November of 2007, leaving behind an impressive legacy of understated-but-persistent emphasis on rigorous sourcing.
Next lesson - Lesson 218: Melba Tolliver
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